Strand hosts Gettysburg events, rare film

Tonight patrons of the Strand Theatre have a chance to see a movie that’s rarely seen on the big screen.

“Glengarry Glen Ross” won the Pulitzer Prize for playwright David Mamet, who adapted his play for the film released in 1992 featuring an all-star cast.

Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon head the ensemble in a story about the cutthroat world or real estate sales.

“It’s very much like a modern ‘Death of a Salesman,’” said David Finkel, director of the Strand, referring to the play by Arthur Miller about an aging salesman on the verge of losing everything.

“Glengarry Glen Ross” may not be screened often because of the colorful language; quite a few “F-bombs” are dropped in the course of the film, Finkel added.

Of the outstanding performances, Alec Baldwin is particularly memorable in a scene where he explains what will happen to those on the sales staff who come up short in their quotas.

The movie begins at 7 p.m. this evening.

Gettysburg takes center stage Wednesday night at the Strand Theatre with a lecture and live performance.

Over three days beginning on July 1, 1863, some 50,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed on the Pennsylvania battlefield. Many believe the loss by the Confederacy was the turning point in the Civil War.

At the Strand event, historian Andrew McRoberts will discuss the battle in detail. His lecture will be followed with a performance by an Abraham Lincoln interpreter delivering the Gettysburg Address.

On Thursday, the Strand will show the 1993 epic film “Gettysburg” starring Tom Berenger and Martin Sheen.

The movie is 4 hours long, Finkel noted, so there will be an intermission. Showtime is at 6:30 p.m.